Unlike typical controllers, Viper’s role in Valorant has drastically changed over the years. The evolution of a double controller meta has forced a ton of changes to the game. Controllers were introduced into the game to block opponent vision while performing an execute. From a simple vision-blocking ability, smokes have evolved to provide way more impact than just blocking off common choke points. Viper’s role has also changed from being a cliche smoker to a post-plant queen. Let’s further break down how this agent has completely changed from what she was during launch.
Viper’s History in Valorant
According to the lore, Viper is an American scientist who has been involved in plenty of situations with other agents like Omen and Reyna. Viper has been taking care of Reyna’s injured sister while requesting Reyna to collect souls to keep her sister alive. Omen, at the same time, seems to be a product of a failed experiment by Viper. The lore keeps going strong, but what’s key here is the fact that Viper is a character Riot seems to show two sides of. The same can be said about her gameplay in Valorant as well.
In the early days, teammates were affected with decay when passing through her wall/orb. This was later removed, and teammates could push Viper’s wall without taking any sort of decay. This change was what brought Viper to life. Initially, Viper’s ultimate, “The Viper’s Pit,” caused decay to teammates as well, but it was later removed. Now, Viper’s ultimate can single-handedly hold down a bombsite. The true Viper nerds have gone as far as creating small pockets of spaces to hide in while the Viper’s Pit is active. The only drawback to her smokes is her wall that, once placed, is permanent and cannot be repositioned.
How Viper is Different from the Other Controllers
First and foremost, to address the big question, “Is Viper a good enough solo controller?” The answer has two sides to the coin. For maps like Icebox, Viper does provide good enough value as a single controller, but she struggles on the remaining maps. The fact that Viper only has an orb to use as smokes for retakes is definitely a concern. This is why Viper is best suited for a double controller meta. Professional teams always feature a Viper when they decide to opt for a double controller meta. Why? Primarily because of her post-plant capabilities.
We all know Sova is the master of line-ups, but Viper would be up there as a more effective lineup queen. Unlike Sova darts that hit for just a moment, Viper mollies last longer. Combine that with an orb, and the post-plant stalling abilities for Viper are on another level. Her smokes are best suited for late-round retakes or post-plant situations. Using Viper’s wall to cut off the bombsite in half allows for teammates to position themselves in fairly advantageous positions. Her ultimate forces the enemies to play with just 1 HP, allowing for Viper to rack up kills with just a Shorty. All in all, Viper’s smokes are of maximum value when they aren’t used as standard scaling up smokes. They have much more value in other situations, and making use of them in better ways is what Viper is all about.
